


Sugar Plums

by Jerevinan



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21916342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: Every year, a Christmas village is set up in Insomnia. Xion has been wanting her dads to take her for years.[AU where Ignis and Noctis raise a bunch of KH kids.]I endorse reading fics on AO3's website, not a cash-grabbing app
Relationships: Aulea Lucis Caelum/Regis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Sugar Plums

**Author's Note:**

> You’ll pry “Ignis and Noctis are great dads” AUs from my cold, dead fingers (and even then, good luck, my GHOST WILL CARRY THE LEGACY)
> 
> My favorite part of the holidays is always the decorations. I’m not religious, and my interpretation of the season is usually more snowmen and penguins and reindeer… but I hope to at least share a bit of magic with this fic, even if it’s admittedly just useless fluff.

“There is no way I’m wearing that.”

Noctis turned just in time to see his oldest son batting away his younger brother’s hand. As soon as the reindeer antler headband was rejected by Vanitas, Roxas reached over and snatched it out of Sora’s clutches, placing it on his head. 

“Fine, I’ll wear it.”

Sora immediately recovered, beaming at Roxas. All the kids were dressed up in some way. Even Vanitas, for all his “bah-humbug” attitude at his siblings, had gone to the nail salon with Ignis during one of their special bonding trips and returned sporting hunter green Christmas trees against a black background on each nail. 

Roxas had more than antler ears, but Noctis was pretending he hadn’t seen the novelty t-shirt beneath his coat. Ignis would disapprove if he saw the crude image and words of a cartoon poop with angel wings and a halo that said, “Holy shit! It’s Christmas!” on it. No doubt it had been a gift from Roxas’ friend Axel. No one else would ever pick out a shirt so tacky. Well, maybe a younger Noctis might have…

The other two triplets had gone above and beyond with their costumes. If not for all the Christmas-themed items, one would have thought the family was about to go trick-or-treating for Halloween. Sora wore full Santa gear and a whole necklace of jingle bells that chimed every time he moved—which was just about always, because Sora had never been one for holding still. They were already giving Noctis a headache.

Ventus wore gray tabby cat ears and cat tail, all with Christmas bows on them. Somewhere, he had a kigurumi outfit of a cat, but maybe he was too shy to wear it for their Christmas outing tonight. Instead, he matched it with a gray shirt and jacket, along with a little collar decorated with silk holly. 

Xion wore candy cane earrings with her matching stripped dress and leggings that could barely be seen under the giant coat she’d swiped from Noctis’ closet. Someone had dressed up for the event as best she could, and she wouldn’t even be able to show it off until later on, at the restaurant. 

Naminé hadn’t really chosen an outfit as much as Noctis couldn’t resist picking one out for her. The youngest child of the group sat in his arms as they waited in the foyer for Regis and Aulea to arrive, all bundled in a marshmallow jacket and her cupcake hat, with a pretty dress beneath. All the kids—when they were still babies and toddlers—had been easier to dress up for the holidays. (And stained every single garment beyond salvation by the end of Christmas dinner.) 

It was rather nice that most of the kids hadn’t quite grown out of it, even if they had their own ways of expressing their seasonal excitement. 

“Why aren’t you wearing anything, Dad?” asked Sora, examining Noctis from head to toe.

“I have a sweater on,” said Noctis. He unsnapped two of the upper buttons on his coat to show off the knitted snowflake sweater beneath.

“I bet Papa’s wearing one of his ugly sweaters,” said Xion with a hint of challenge in her voice. “I thought you loved Christmas?”

Before Noctis could defend his stance on his favorite holiday, he heard the distinct clearing of a throat behind him.

“My sweaters are not ugly,” said Ignis, stepping into the foyer.

“But they’re called ugly Christmas sweaters,” said Roxas.

If Ignis caught sight of what Roxas was wearing beneath his hoodie and his coat, there might have been a debate over whose clothing was actually repulsive. Still, Ignis had managed to avoid the level of absurdity that most elementary school teachers captured with their sweaters and sweater vests. Maybe because Ignis wasn’t an elementary school teacher? (Noctis would have to count his blessings for that.) The brown, blue, and cream shirt displayed snow and reindeer and wintery trees without any obnoxiousness.

It disappeared from sight as Ignis pulled on his peacoat and snapped it up. “Is everyone ready? Why are half of you not wearing gloves?”

The response was several childish groans, but as Ignis dug out the pairs from the coat closet and passed them around, each kid complied. The only one who dared protest was Noctis, when he was handed a set.

“I’m fine,” said Noctis. “I put Naminé’s on.” 

“That doesn’t excuse you from wearing any, simply because you thought to make sure one of our children were properly attired for outside.”

“I didn’t notice they weren’t wearing any,” Noctis admitted. Had he realized, he would have told the kids to get theirs on, though he doubted it would have held the same authority as his husband—especially when he wasn’t wearing any. After a firm look from Ignis, he tugged on his gloves, one at a time, shifting Naminé in his arms easily. Having six kids had made him something of a pro at holding one while doing something else.

“Do we have to wear hats, too?” asked Ventus cautiously, fingering one of the cat ears on his headband. 

Ignis sighed. “I suppose not, but we should bring some along just in case.” He took some from the closet and began stuffing them in the diaper bag strapped around Noctis’ arm and the tote bag he always carried. “You’re all fussing about this as much as when I make you wear your coats over your Halloween costumes. Would you rather dress up or get frostbite?”

“It’s not _that_ cold,” muttered Roxas.

“There’s snow on the ground and it is below freezing tonight.”

“Who’re you trying to impress, Roxas?” asked Noctis, who had donned the tired dad look since Vanitas’ birth and never looked back. “Everyone’s there to see the Christmas displays.”

“Can’t I be embarrassed to be seen with all of them?” asked Vanitas, stuffing his hands in his pockets and nodding at the group of younger children. “If they cared about how they looked, they wouldn’t be dressed like idiots.”

“Hey!” Sora and Ventus cried out at the same time, and Roxas stepped forward willing to defend them, only for Ignis to hush them all with the clearing of his throat.

“Vanitas, don’t insult your siblings,” scolded Ignis. “All of you should settle down. We’ll be leaving as soon as your grandparents arrive.”

Regis and Aulea must have gotten caught up in traffic or were taking their sweet time packing. While the family lived in the same city, Noctis’ parents had agreed to stay overnight to wake up the next morning and enjoy breakfast and unwrapping presents together. 

“How late does the village stay open?” asked Xion, wringing her hands in front of her.

Ignis reached over to stroke her hair. “We have several hours, Xion. It’s open until midnight.”

The sun had only just started setting half an hour before, and that would be the best time to arrive at the village—when all the lights were visible and bright in the dark. As a child, Noctis and Ignis had gone with their parents, cradling cups of hot chocolate between their gloved hands as the snow began to fall. It would hopefully be as magical an experience for his kids, who hadn’t gone in years—not since Xion was three. That might have been why she was so concerned about missing it. She likely didn’t remember it well, and the experience would be new to her.

Even Vanitas—who often tried to get out of family events—didn’t protest about being dragged along. It wasn’t as if Vanitas hated spending time with everyone. Ignis and Noctis hadn’t just been only children, they hadn’t been kids who found out they were getting three new baby brothers all at once. And then it hadn’t ended, when Xion came, and years later, Naminé. It meant that sometimes there were spats. Their oldest child could be a bit antagonistic with his younger siblings. The teasing seldom ever went too far out of hand, and in most cases, Vanitas retreated to his bedroom and beneath his headphones if he was properly annoyed with them. 

He didn’t have his phone out and his earbuds in, and Noctis surmised that Vanitas must have been kind of excited about the Christmas village.

The rest of the kids? It was a guarantee they would be as hyper that evening as they had been all day. The anticipation had made them a little more noisy than usual, too. 

Sora skipped over to the door and glanced out the peephole. 

“Are they here?” asked Xion, rocking on her feet.

“I think I see their car! Ah, no, that’s the neighbors’…” Sora pressed his nose even closer into the door, as if that fraction of an inch would make any difference in the length of time it took his grandparents to arrive.

“It’s hot in here,” complained Roxas, but when he started tugging off his gloves, Ignis gave him a sharp look that had him pulling them back on.

Sora let out an ear-piercing squeal and hopped away from the door. “They’re here!” 

“Good, now you can shut up,” said Vanitas, tugging Sora back by the hood of his coat. 

“Be nice, or Santa will give you coal.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in Santa Claus anymore?” 

“Vanitas.” Ignis’ voice held a firm warning, and he nodded his head in the direction of Xion. 

“He is real,” said Xion stubbornly.

“Yeah, in our hearts,” agreed Sora, who was only echoing the sentiment that Ignis had come up with for the whole Santa thing. Neither parent had wanted to outright lie to their children when first confronted about Santa Claus, and once the triplets were in on the truth—no thanks to Riku Highwind’s big mouth—both dads lost some of that Christmas magic with the younger ones. As a result, Ignis came up with a brilliant idea: treat Santa Claus as a tradition of the giving spirit and not as a real entity delivering presents.

Sora ate it up. Santa no longer had to be real, and the plate of cookies left out every Christmas Eve managed to get even bigger. Noctis liked this part, because his assignment over the years was finishing off the tower of sweets, a job he had happily completed every year so far. He doubted that evening would be any different, aside from maybe having to split it with Aulea.

As soon as Noctis thought about his mother, he opened the door to see if his parents would need assistance with their luggage or to help Regis up the frosty stairs with his bad knee. As soon as Aulea noticed him, she waved. 

“We need help carrying in presents!” 

Sora had already hurried out to the drive to assist. No one ever needed to ask him to lend a hand, especially not when there were presents involved. Ignis was only a few steps behind him, and Noctis would have joined them if he hadn’t had his arms full with Naminé. The cool air seeped into the house with alarming speed, and Noctis readjusted his daughter’s cap over her head fussily, trying to make sure she wouldn’t catch cold. 

“It’s snowing!” Xion went over to the door, her snow boots half over the threshold. 

“It had to wait till now, didn’t it?” Noctis watched the weather forecasts throughout the day and found out that they had snow coming in through the night. Conditions would get worse in the early morning, but by then all the children would be snug in their beds and all that lovely stuff about sugarplums that Noctis never quite understood. (Seriously, what _was_ a sugarplum? He would have to ask Ignis.) 

Ignis could easily drive in the stuff, and Noctis liked the Christmas village a lot better when it had some snow. It fit the season and atmosphere. Even seeing their front yard lights reflecting off the precipitation made him feel giddy like a little kid. _It’s Christmastime!_

Xion stepped out of the doorway as her grandparents entered, the rest of her family following behind. 

Once the luggage was deposited in the guest bedroom at the back of the main floor, and the presents were piled next to the tree in the living room, everyone took several minutes exchanging hugs. Aulea insisted on taking Naminé from Noctis’ arms, gushing about her little cupcake hat. 

“All of you look adorable,” said Aulea, rubbing Xion’s shoulder. “Are we ready to go? Which kids am I driving?”

There were cheers and yells all at the same time, a chorus of which parent or grandparent they wanted to stick by during the drive to the village. Vanitas wordlessly edged next to Ignis, which made him the only one Noctis understood over the cacophony. 

“We’ll take Naminé,” said Noctis. “We have her car seat. Vanitas is coming with us. The rest of you can go to battle.”

“Noctis.” Ignis narrowed his eyes severely at his husband, but Noctis only shrugged. 

“I’m not _encouraging_ them to fight over it. No reason they can’t play paper, rock, scissors for their seats.”

The foyer burst with noise and energy again, everyone trying to shout over each other. Not one of the kids took up the advice for doing a friendly game of paper, rock, scissors. There were times being a parent could be a headache, but it appeared only Ignis was getting one when he rubbed his temple. Noctis grinned at him.

“Okay, kids,” said Aulea in a commanding voice. Everyone hushed. “One at a time.”

Within minutes, Aulea had the entire thing sorted with little argument from anyone. Xion and the triplets wanted their grandparents, but there weren’t enough seats. One of them had to travel in the other car. After a while, Sora stepped forward diplomatically and announced he would look after Naminé while his parents were in the front seats.

“I’m glad that’s settled,” said Aulea. “Let’s go.” 

With that, she herded the family out the door, one at a time, checking gloves and scarves and nitpicking over whether any of the children were bundled enough. No one dared counter her about the gloves, not even Vanitas.

~*~

Xion let out a squeak when she saw the glow of the Christmas lights over the fence surrounding the village. Nighttime made it easy to spot it in the distance. There were spiraling trees and man-sized gingerbread house props, all somehow made more magical by the light snow accumulating. This was the experience for which she had worn her Christmas best, even if she had it all hidden under her dad’s oversized coat.

Everyone piled out of the two cars and gathered in the queue at the admissions gate, the triplets letting out dramatic whines about how they had been separated for fifteen minutes during the car ride. 

“I can’t help it if my car can’t hold all of you,” said Aulea, rolling her eyes.

Xion bounced on her feet as they waited, reaching up as far as she could to get a good view of what awaited her beyond the gates. The lamplight reflected off the snow, making it hard to see just what was going on at the front of the line. 

She couldn’t remember her first visit to the village. Everyone told her stories, but every year, something came up that prevented the family from going. Someone was either sick or forced to work overtime, or the weather conditions were too severe to drag a family out in it. It didn’t matter if they planned to go Christmas Eve or some earlier date. Something always sabotaged the outing.

Xion hoped the incoming snowstorm wouldn’t impede their experience. 

Still, Xion was more of a summertime child, and the cold made her burrow her nose into her peppermint pink scarf. Ignis took notice of her immediately and dug a travel blanket out of a tote bag. 

“I’m wearing three layers!” insisted Xion, but she still took the pouch from him anyway. The travel blanket didn’t offer much warmth, but it did the trick as soon as she draped it over her shoulders. 

“We’ll warm up once we start walking. In the meantime, I thought to be prepared. Does anyone else need one?”

Roxas held out his hand. “Papa, you’re always prepared!” 

“I’ve had plenty of practice with all of you. I’ve got one for each of us.”

Xion grinned into her scarf, hugging the thin but helpful blanket around her arms and swaying her shoulders. Her parents were the best. Who wanted their Christmas experience dampened by a little cold? There was no wind with an extra chill to it, and she hoped it stayed that way for a few hours. Otherwise, she knew her parents would insist on taking them all home, to the shelter of a heated house.

By the time they reached admissions, Sora also had a blanket. No doubt in an hour, the triplets would be throwing snowballs at one another and acting as if they weren’t affected by the cold.

Once Ignis paid, everyone stepped onto the designated paths. A giant North Pole sign greeted them, covered in painted snow as well as the real stuff. A line of penguins with different caps and scarves all decorated a Christmas tree at least ten feet tall, strings of lights held in their little plastic wings. 

According to the pamphlet Xion acquired at the admissions booth, there were carolers in one of the buildings at the end of the decorated path, hot drink stands, and treat bags for all children. Xion shook with excitement.

“Still cold, my dear?” asked Regis, rubbing her back. 

“I’m fine, Grandpa, thanks.” She beamed up at him, soliciting a chuckle from him.

“Oh, I see.”

He pulled her against his side in a hug. They walked along the path at a slow pace, minding the crowds and taking their time to appreciate the small details. The walkway was decorated on both sides by lit gumdrops, candy canes, and lollipops. Not far in, the family stopped at a booth and ordered warm drinks, and Xion’s hot chocolate and the constant movement helped warm her, along with the contribution of her grandfather’s embrace.

The snow continued to fall, but not so heavily that it started to block the decorations. If anything, it only accentuated them and helped make the entire area brighter in the dark. Xion was grateful for her snow boots. They helped her keep traction on the slick pathways, and she didn’t need to worry about her toes getting wet. 

They finally came to the caroling cabin, which was heated and provided plenty of seating, along with programs for everyone to join in if they pleased. The wooden building provided beautiful acoustics, and the rustic decorations and crackling fireplace provided beautiful ambience. Xion snuggled between Aulea and Roxas. While Sora and Roxas joined in with the carols, Xion kept silent and studied the frost-tipped Christmas tree in the corner, the fake Claus family on the stairway above, and the cursive names on the stockings above the fireplace. Dozens of elf dolls busied themselves with creating toys and wrapping presents, all with their own unique hats and scarves that looked to be hand-knit. 

After they had finished listening to a couple of songs, Naminé fell asleep in Ignis’ arms. While he stayed indoors, Noctis took rest of the kids to the treat stand to collect their goodie bags. 

“Having fun?” he asked his oldest daughter.

“Yes! I want to stay forever!”

Noctis laughed. “That’s how I felt as a kid!”

“That’s how you _still_ feel, admit it.”

Noctis huffed. “Got me there.”

Once every kid had their goodie bag, the triplets immediately broke out into a snow fight in the open patch of grass near the cabin. Other kids were running around, too, and snowballs were scooped and tossed in every direction. Xion stayed on the path and glanced in her plastic sack at the treats. They had each been given some kind of packaged cookie, a peppermint stick, a packet of stickers, and a pouch of cocoa. It’d all be gone by the end of the night.

Thankfully, Ignis always provided trays upon trays of homemade desserts for Christmas, and they would be eating them for the next week even with the big extended family and friends gathering tomorrow to help devour everything.

Xion was ready to eat dinner and go home for the evening. While she had enjoyed the experience of prop gingerbread houses and the North Pole light show, she couldn’t wait to get into her warm pajamas next to the fireplace and enjoy the family’s Christmas decorations. She had made homemade gifts for her family and would be tucking them into their stockings before bedtime. They had two trees, with a smaller display in their foyer and another in the living room that held the actual presents, and she could sit beside the tree skirts and enjoy the lights and ornaments and Ignis’ perfect ribbon skills.

“Let’s come back next year,” said Xion.

“Yeah! Please Dad?” agreed Sora seconds before Vanitas dumped a giant snowball over his spikey head.

“Well see how the weather goes,” said Noctis, reaching over and dusting the snow off his head. “C’mon, let’s go eat.”

Noctis reached over and tugged Xion into his arms as he led the way back to the cabin to fetch the rest of their family.

~*~

“They’re in bed?” asked Ignis as Noctis entered the living room. They were takin a break right before they gathered the last of the hidden wrapped presents and did their “Santa Claus” delivery.

“Yup, every single one of them, all snug in their beds.” Noctis dropped down onto the sofa, too tired to fetch gifts out of the study. “Hey, what’s a sugarplum?”

Ignis offered an arm to his husband, who gratefully scooted into place beside him. 

“A round, purple treat that resembles a plum. The name comes from the shape. They’re a hard candy.”

Noctis, who had never had the patience for treats like jawbreakers, curled his nose up. “Yeah, never mind. I can’t see the kids dreaming about those. Maybe if they were cookies or fudge. Oh! Cookies.” 

He glanced around and saw the plate of milk and cookies set out on one of the side tables.

“It’s not midnight yet,” said Ignis. “And we haven’t delivered the presents from Spirit Santa.”

Noctis scowled. “Make sure we send some coal over to Riku’s house.” 

“Oh, come now. No one can believe in Santa Claus forever. Not even you.”

“He certainly wanted to,” said a woman’s voice from the doorway, and they both turned their heads to see Aulea standing there in her robe and slippers. She grinned. “Don’t you remember how devastated he was?”

“I never trusted Dad again.”

“Your father could play a convincing Santa Claus now. His beard gets whiter every day.” Aulea strolled into the living room, peering around. “Where are those cookie—Oh!”

Noctis lunged off the sofa, knowing full well that if he didn’t dive for his favorite cookies, his mother would snatch them up. 

“Those are mine!” 

“No, these are for Santa.” Aulea snatched up one from the top of the stack and grabbed the milk, swallowing it down before Noctis could make it around the sofa. 

“Where are the presents?” asked Noctis, reaching the plate and selecting a chocolate chip cookie.

Aulea nodded at all the ones that had been placed under the tree earlier that evening with Sora’s help before she dove into the batch for a gingerbread man. 

“Better get busy with Santa’s delivery,” she said. “Merry Christmas!”

With that said, she snapped the head off the gingerbread man with a threatening cheeriness that never failed to make Noctis obey. 

Not that he minded too much. The kids’ reactions to their stuffed stockings and wrapped goodies would be payment enough. Still, he wanted _some_ of those cookies.

“You’d better leave me the chocolate chip, Mom!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, khux, for telling me in the most recent update _today_ that Ven doesn’t mind the snow. I had to rewrite some of this to adjust to that. :'D
> 
> More importantly, if you’re reading this: Thank you, and Happy Holidays! May you have a good winter season!
> 
> Thank you for reading. :D


End file.
